Change
by melliexgrant
Summary: Olivia has been taken, but how will it change life at the White House... (aka me trying to make sense of what happened in the winter finale) All characters belong to Shonda of course.
1. Chapter 1

_**So, I think this came out of my frustration of what happened in the S4 winter finale. I just can't wrap my head around what Andrew did or why and this just kind of poured out of me. We'll see where it goes. Enjoy x**_

Her hands gripped the sheets as her head dropped back into the pillows as the ecstasy flowed through her body. She groaned as his tongue delved even deeper, Mellie was doing everything in her power not to scream out in pleasure. It was the last thing she wanted to do right now, they were finally getting a moment alone together and no one needed to know exactly what was going on.

He glanced up at her face, her beautiful expressive face and smiled. She was biting her lip now, she was close and it was his doing. He swelled with pride and returned his attention back to her soft folds.

Her back arched and her toes curled as the wave of pleasure coursed through her body. He stole a few more licks savoring the sweet tang before moving from between her thighs trailing kisses up her body. He didn't linger too long as he wanted her to taste herself on his lips. Mellie ran her fingers through his hair as his face reached her's. Her blue eyes were filled with passion and desire, he was completely lost in them. Her chest heaved as she tried to regain control of her body, so she would be ready for him to continue. With each breath her hard nipples brushed across his bare chest, filling her with even more erotic sensations.

"Mmmm Mr. President" she said in a soft sultry voice finally regaining some control. "That was…. amazing" she finished, it was more of a moan than words but he got the message.

"You're amazing" he replied before kissing her, gliding his tongue in her mouth.

He adjusted his body and slipped inside her wet entrance. Missionary, boring by their standards but it felt necessary. It had been so long and he just wanted the intimacy of it. He wanted to hold her in his arms and admire her beautiful face while he pleased her. The feeling of her soft and now sweaty skin against his was glorious. He was so glad he had taken the time to remove her clothing.

— — — — — One month earlier — — — — — —

"What do you want Andrew" Fitz snarled from the other side of the room. Andrew had asked to meet him in the residence. He had been sitting in a tall wing backed chair by the fireplace where some aide had left him to wait for Fitz. He toyed with the folder in his hands as he watched the dancing flames, he was doing the right thing, he knew he was but he still didn't feel good about it.

"Good evening to you too" Andrew said standing

"Don't even try with pleasantries" Fitz said glaring at him "We both know I want you dead… but…" he turned his head away trying to swallow his anger

"Fine." Andrew said "Yes, you want me dead but I have your precious Olivia." he said in a mocking tone "And that's why I'm here, I have a question for you" he said trying to get his emotions back under control. This whole situation had gone farther than he ever imagined and he was at constant battle with his own conscience.

"What" Fitz snapped at him. He couldn't dampen his anger, the very site of his Vice President made his blood boil.

"Do you want her back" Andrew said after taking a deep breath

"What" Fitz said his body tensing even more. He wanted to trust that Andrew was keeping her safe, he had no idea where she was or what had happened. He did want her back and so he needed to keep his anger in check. This was not the Andrew he knew, the Andrew he trusted and he had no idea what he was truly capable of.

"Do you want Olivia back" He questioned again

"And what do you want in return" Fitz said seething, he knew there was a catch, a reason Andrew had kidnapped Olivia.

"For you to make a choice" Andrew said boldly. Fitz just stared at him breathing heavily, his mind was still on Olivia and whether or not she was unharmed. "I want you to chose between the country you've pledged your life too since you joined the Navy as a young man and the country you sworn an oath to the day you took this office" Andrew continued when Fitz didn't answer "And this woman… this woman you love more than your duty, more than your children… more than your wife…" Andrew swallowed hard at wife. It pained him more than Fitz could ever understand seeing Mellie now and what his treatment of her had done. How destroyed she was.

"What are you saying Andrew" Fitz questioned

"Resign from office and I will return her to you"

"Just like that"

"She's fine, I told you. But if you want her back… in your life…. Resign, leave this office, this house… divorce Mellie and Olivia is yours."

"You want to be President" Fitz growled

"No, it's not that… I want this country to have what it deserves, a President who cares about it. Olivia is a poison to this office, because…" Andrew said with all his honesty.

"How dare you" Fitz said cutting him off

"How dare I?" Andrew said raising his voice for the first time "You are obsessed with her, you put her and your desire for her before everyone and anything and to top it off you are oblivious to thinking no one else can see it"

"I care about this country" Fitz said

"You've done a piss poor job of showing it, let alone running it. You are destroying it and this party and you don't even care" Andrew snapped back

Fitz hung his head, as much as it hurt him as much as he wanted to cross this room and slug Andrew in the face again, he was right. At one point, longer ago than he could really remember he had wanted this office, he had wanted to make a difference and now he just wanted Olivia. More than once he had made up his mind to give it all up for her, but something or someone would come along and change his mind or thwart his plans. And now he was faced with the choice and he didn't know what to do.

"Here" Andrew said crossing the distance between them and handing Fitz the envelope he had been holding. "Your resignation papers"

"And if I don't sign them" Fitz said not taking the folder

"I'm not going to hurt her, I'm not a monster." Fitz shot him a death glare "But you won't see her again. And I will hold it over your head and force you to be the President this office deserves" Andrew continued.

"Can resign…. with honor" Fitz said through gritted teeth. Andrew could hear the sadness in his voice and he felt bad but he had to hold to the bigger picture and not the sad, pathetic shell of a man that stood before him

"Of course sir" Andrew said sighing "Blame it on your shooting… your son… but do the right thing and resign"

Fitz nodded slowly taking the file from Andrew, it was the right thing to do. Ever since Jerry had died and Olivia had left, Cyrus had been pushing him to do new things and make his mark in his second term. Externally he may have appeared to be focusing on his job, but internally he was as bad as Mellie.

"And you'll let Mellie go" Andrew said, there was no question in his voice. Fitz clenched his fist and tightened his grip on the folder. This was about more than the Presidency, Mellie was Andrew's true prize. He had sent Olivia to break them up, he had taken Mellie away from him and now he had done the same with Olivia. He had forced Andrew to chose between the Vice Presidency the woman he loved, Fitz cringed, _loved_… He knew Andrew loved Mellie and it angered him deep within and he had no idea why. It truly annoyed him. He wanted nothing to do with her but he didn't want Andrew to have her, she was his. Fitz shook his head, trying to force the thoughts out of his head, this was about Olivia, not Mellie. But even now like all the times before as much as he could dream up a life with Olivia he couldn't picture his life without Mellie.

"You'll let Mellie go" Andrew said again, with more force this time.

"I need to talk to her" Fitz said still looking down. He didn't know what this feeling was but he felt this odd desire to go to Mellie before he made his decision. It was strange, after everything that happened he still had feelings for her. What exactly those feelings were, he couldn't be sure.

"Letting her go is part of the deal" Andrew said. Fitz looked up at him "Staying President means staying with Mellie and finally honoring the vows you took with her. Expect for me to hold you to that as well."

"I see" Fitz said looking down again trying to get his mind to process what he was feeling.

"Interesting" Andrew mumbled

"What is" Fitz snapped.

"I expected you to jump at the chance of getting Olivia back and being free of your duties to be with her… your hesitation surprises me, but in a good way" Andrew said moving towards the door "Take your time to think it over I guess. I want your decision by the end of the week. Olivia will remain safe"

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Mellie changed the angle of her hips so his slow thrusts would slide in deeper. She was gripping at his back and burying her face in his neck still trying to control her noises. She couldn't help but moan though, with each thrust she let him know just how much she was enjoying it. It felt so good to have the weight of his body back on hers, the caress of his touch, the strength of his arms around her, the warmth of his flesh, the taste of his lips, all of it, all of him. She could keep going, god she had missed him.

"I'm close" she whispered into his neck

"Yes baby… you're so tight." He groaned "Come for me" he said increasing his force. She was so tight, it was taking a lot of self control to make sure she came before he did. Mellie opened her mouth to scream out and he quickly covered it with his. He pushed into her a few more times before finally releasing and then remained inside of her enjoying the sensation of her climax.

He stayed on top of her for a while, partly because he wanted to and partly because she was still clinging to him. He didn't mind though, he loved being wanted by her, no needed. He felt needed, for the first time in years.

"I love you" she whispered still clinging to him. She closed her eyes and fought back tears, she couldn't even remember the last time those words left her lips.

"I love you too" he said raising himself up to look at her face. He reached up and moved a sweaty curl from her forehead and lightly kissed her closed eyes "I love you so much"

He left her long enough to find the covers and returned pulling her into his arms. Mellie snuggled into his chest completely content and satisfied. She couldn't remember a time she felt this happy and at peace. There was so much going on outside the doors of the bedroom, so much for her to worry about. But she didn't care, she was just enjoying being wrapped in a lovers embrace.

_**But who do you think "He" is *winks***_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I probably should have made my flashback longer than a month, guess that's why Shonda is always ambiguous as to what time its is, oops. Anyways, sorry for the late update. I had it all I just kept going back over it uncertain of the direction and not wanting to commit lol! I read your reviews and they were pretty split on who you wanted "him" to be. I almost considered changing it as I saw my writing drift, but I went with my original intentions (if you don't like it I have another fic for the other ship I will post soon) Hope you enjoy! I'm still angry and bitter and trying to make sense of why this crap with Andrew happened/is happening. Thanks for all the reviews x**_

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><p>"The First Lady" Fitz questioned the nearest Secret Service Agent<p>

"Still in her office Sir"

"Thank you" Fitz said and slowly walked towards Mellie's office, still gripping the folder containing his resignations papers. Olivia's safety was his first priority, but every time he tried to picture her face, Mellie's would replace it. He had seen her smile earlier this week. A true smile and not the well crafted fake smile she bore for the public. He couldn't get it out of his head. He hadn't seen her smile since… since before their son was killed.

"We need to talk" Fitz growled as he walked into Mellie's office. The anger he had for Andrew had carried over into his tone towards her and he had not intended that. He really didn't want to argue with her.

"What do you want" she spat back at him, not even looking up.

"I said we need to talk Mellie, it's important"

Mellie looked up at him, she had sensed the urgency in his voice but now seeing the worry written so clearly on his face was unnerving. A piece of the old Mellie wanted to jump up from her chair and run to his side. To run her fingers through his hair and hold his hand while he unburdened himself. But the new Mellie wouldn't allow it, it wasn't worth her own pain. She steeled herself.

"Fine" she said coldly moving her eyes away from him.

"Before I get into what has happened…. I need to know how you feel about Andrew" Fitz asked

"Excuse me" she spat back, glaring at his chest still not wanting to meet his eyes. Fitz could tell instantly he had taken the wrong approach, but he didn't know what to do. He couldn't just flat out tell her he had to resign. Especially if it meant he was doing it for Olivia, she would never speak to him again, not after everything she had been through.

"I just… do you love him Mellie" he questioned cringing at his own words.

"I don't need this" she said getting up and walking towards the door.

"DO YOU LOVE HIM" Fitz yelled at her. He slammed both fists on her desk causing Mellie to jump and she just stood there halfway to the door, frozen. She half expected her agents to come in to make sure everything was okay and then she realized they had become so accustom to her and Fitz arguing, they probably thought nothing of it. She had a flash to one of their first arguments in the White House. Secret Service practically stormed in the room with weapons drawn, now they probably didn't even bat an eye.

Fitz dropped his head and his shoulders sank. This wasn't his intention, this isn't what he wanted. It seemed like the only effective thing he could do anymore was push her further away. Their relationship was so broken.

"Mellie… I'm sorry" he said still hanging his head.. His voice was softer now. "I didn't mean to yell at you… I'm just…"

"Stressed about Olivia" she said still facing the door.

"How did you…"

"It always comes back to her, does it not" Mellie snapped.

"It does… but it also has to do with us Mel"

"Us" she said in a cold tone. "What 'us'? There is no 'us' anymore. You've made that more than clear" she said and stormed out.

Fitz let her go, he wanted to chase after her but he knew it wouldn't do any good. It was too late. So much had changed. Their sons death had changed his view of her and he knew it had cemented her view of him. He hadn't intended on yelling while she was grieving. God, he had handled that so horribly wrong. But he hated seeing her like that, he couldn't take it anymore. Allowing her behavior to continue— allowing her to waste away drinking every day all day wasn't helping, she was only getting worse. He needed to snap her out of it. She was right, she was back, but she was so wrong, he never hated that Mellie he just hated how she had put up a wall between them. But now he knew why and he felt like a complete failure for not seeing it. But how do you tell someone that. How do you look at your raped wife and tell her how awful YOU feel, like you are the victim.

He would let her go.

* * *

><p>Mellie walked slowly towards the Oval. The sound of her heels on the cool tile floor matched the rhythm of the pounding in her head. She hadn't been sleeping again, not that she wasn't used to it. She could probably count on her hand the well slept nights she had in the past 15 years. Her heart was pounding as well, with each pulse she could feel it in her head. She licked her lips, they were dry and she could still taste the hooch on them. She didn't need to be drunk, not today, not anymore but she did need that shot of liquid courage. It was more than that to her though. Her daddy had made that hooch, it was a piece of her roots, of her soul and she loved having it course through her veins. As if it connected her to the woman she truly was. She hated that she had abused it. But this was a new leaf, a new chapter.<p>

"You can go in ma'am" Lauren said from behind her as she stood outside the door. She knew that. She knew what awaited her on the other side, but was it really everything she ever wanted.

Fitz was giving her up, letting her go. It hurt more than she thought it would, no matter how numb she tried to make herself towards him he would always have a piece of her heart. To be loved back by him was something she would probably always desire. For years she knew this could be coming, she had tried to prepare herself but she still dreaded it. She shook her head as if it would fling the thoughts from her mind and swallowed hard as she reached for the door knob. She gingerly pushed the door open to see Fitz, Cyrus, and Andrew all waiting for her. She couldn't look at Fitz, somewhere deep inside she was worried she might cry. Her eyes instead went to Andrew and he smiled at her.

That was all she needed. Her worries washed away from her instantly. She felt for the first time in years, comfort. True comfort, like he was going to take care of her, take care of everything. She didn't need to worry anymore. She felt safe. Mellie took a deep breath and walked over to the couch holding her head high and sat down.

Fitz's heart sank as Mellie walked in the room. She didn't even look at him. Not even a cold glare, nothing, not a single emotion. She must really be done with him. He watched her beautiful blue eyes fall on Andrew as a slight smile graced her face. His his fists clenched., but he only had himself to blame in all of this.

Andrew's eyes had been glued to the door waiting for Mellie, as she walked in their eyes met and he smiled. There was not much to smile about in all of this, but he couldn't help it. Every time he saw her he smiled.

No one spoke for a long while, Cyrus was the first to break the silence.

"Everything has been arranged" He sad with real sadness in his voice. "There will be a press conference tomorrow"

"I'd like Mellie to be by my side during the speech…" he said cutting Cyrus off. "If that's alright with everyone" He didn't care if it was or not, he would have her by his side for this. The divorce proceedings were already happening and almost completely finalized. As it turned out, he and Mellie had both drawn up papers in the past and all that was really left to settle was their shared custody of Teddy.

All eyes fell on Mellie, she was surprised at Fitz's words. He sounded genuine but she was trained to believe it was a political move. She shifted slightly on the couch as she considered it. It was public knowledge now that they were in the midst of a divorce, the shock to the American people would be that Fitz was leaving the White House and not Mellie.

* * *

><p>***flashback***<p>

Mellie's lips left his and she buried her face into his neck wrapping her arms around him. She was clinging to him and he could tell she was trying not to cry. He held her head with one hand while he slowly rubbed her back with the other. He couldn't believe it. Had she just told him she loved him. Andrew was in shock, shock mixed with joy. His heart was soaring, he thought he had lost her for good when her son died. Sure they had just had sex in his office, but now she was truly back and she wanted him, she loved him.

"Mel" we need to talk about something Andrew said still holding her. His mind was racing, this changed everything.

"Okay" she whispered. He could tell she was still trying to keep her emotions in check.

Mellie swallowed hard, she was waiting for his rejection. She had become so accustom to it from everyone in her life, why not Andrew too. He was right, she had turned him away, she didn't try to fight to keep him in her life.

"Are you expecting anyone" he asked releasing her and looking around her office nervously "Maybe we shouldn't talk here"

"What is it" she questioned "What's wrong"

"Something's been happening…" he said as his voice fell to a whisper "I'm not sure if it's safe to talk here"

"Andrew" she questioned, the fear rising in her voice

"Meet me outside… in the Rose Garden in 15" he said and she nodded. "Everything is going to be okay" he whispered and softly kissed her lips before leaving.

Mellie was pacing nervously in the Rose Garden waiting for Andrew. She had gone up to the Residence to change and informed her staff and agents that she was going out for a walk to clear her head and didn't want to be bothered. She had no idea what had Andrew so upset and she couldn't calm her nerves.

"Hi" Andrew said from behind her

"Andrew" she said and flung her arms around him

"I'm sorry I worried you" he said squeezing her tight and kissing her head "It's just… I'm trying to do my best to keep you safe in all of this"

"What is going on… are you in danger?"

"No… I… I don't think so" he replied

"But you almost blew up… someone tried to kill you"

"Not exactly…" he said dropping his head

"What do you mean… Andrew I saw the footage… I…"

"I knew it was going to happen" he said cutting her off

"WHAT" she said louder than she intended

"That's what I need to tell you about… here let's sit"

"Okay" she said hesitantly. She wanted to hear him out, but she was seriously starting to worry.

"I'm just going to go right ahead and tell you everything… everything I know"

"Okay" she said sitting next to him on the bench

Andrew swallowed hard before continuing. He did need to tell her everything and he wasn't sure how she would take it, losing her again was not something he could handle. Mellie shivered. She wasn't sure if it was from what Andrew was telling her or the chill in the air, she wished she had grabbed a sweater. Andrew noticed and took his suit jacket off and gently placed it over her shoulders.

"Thank you" she whispered and he just smiled at her. It was the little things like this that reaffirmed her feelings for him.

"So…Elizabeth North came to me a while back with this plan to control Fitz. She had it all worked out. I guess she only wanted me on board to make sure she and the powers that be had control over me if they chose to force Fitz to resign."

"She's been coming to me to try and thwart his plans as well" Mellie said

"I doubt to this capacity…." he said and reached for her hand

"Wait… resign?" Mellie questioned

"They're really unhappy with what he has been doing Mel…"

"This seems drastic…no?" she said looking at him, the concern written all over his face.

"Have you not done things and crossed lines for this" he said gesturing at the White House. Mellie dropped her head and nodded. People could be capable of the worst evil's to walk the halls of power.

"I wanted nothing to do with her or her plans, but she gave me time to think about it and think I did. I worried about you Mellie, about what would happen. I worried if they would try and hurt you to get to Fitz. It was my idea to use Olivia. I just wanted to keep you safe."

"Use Olivia" Mellie questioned "What are you talking about"

"They're going to kidnap her" he said grimacing. Mellie gasped. "They tried the bombing… that was my first plan but Fitz didn't bite and they had a back up… I feared they would try and hurt you to get to him so I told them… I told them about Olivia. They've been stalking her for months waiting for the perfect opportunity and when the bombing failed to move his hand… well…"

"Oh my god" Mellie said, her words barely audible "Andrew… I can't…."

"I know" he said grabbing both her hands in his "I want no part of this… despite what he has done to you… Mellie you have to know I would never willingly be apart of something like this. I just… I was so afraid of what they might do to you. I had to manipulate the situation to make sure it went the best that it could. I knew they would do it with or without me." Mellie shifted away from him, shaking her head. She knew Cyrus could be capable of something like this and maybe even Fitz at this point… but Andrew?

Still shaking her head, she stood up and started backing away from him.

"Mellie wait" he said standing "Please hear me out… there's more"

"More" she whispered as her chest caved in. She could barely make sense of what he had already told her. She needed to process everything, especially her feelings.

"Yes…Mellie I'm not some power hungry monster… you have to know that by now"

"This town… this office… this place… changes people" she staring wide-eyed at the darkness of the garden around them

"I found a way to get to Olivia. I told her what I had planned and asked for her help. She has something set up with her team, but we all have to play it like we don't know. They will take down Elizabeth and her cohorts when it's all over. And she will explain it to Fitz."

"Explain… to Fitz?" her eyes found his

"Mellie he has to resign… it's the only way…" He said trying to touch her again but she jerked away.

"Resign" she said and as the words left her lips the realization of what that meant hit her hard in the gut and the wind was knocked out of her. Her knees buckled and she began to fall to the ground, but Andrew caught her in his arms. She clung to him and buried her face into his shoulder sobbing.

"Mel… I'm so sorry…I know what you have sacrifice for" he started to say but she cut him off

"My son… my son was murdered for this term… and now…" her words became unclear and mumbled as the sobbing stopped and she started to turn catatonic as just tears fell from her face.

"Mel" Andrew whispered and pulled her even closer to him.

Andrew just held her for a while and let her absorb the weight of what he told her. He had intended on telling her about Elizabeth and his relationship with her, but he couldn't do that now. He couldn't add that pain and burden to her shoulders. But he needed to tell her his plans for their future now. It had crossed his mind when Elizabeth told him he would be President, but he could only dream it would be something she would want. He kissed her forehead and waited for a response.

Mellie nuzzled into him more, she felt so safe with Andrew. It had been so long since someone had held her like this, she didn't even realize how much she had missed it.

"Mel" he whispered again. Mellie could sense he needed to tell her more, so she nodded for him to continue. He shifted so he could look into her face before continuing. "Fitz has to resign or bend to their will…But we both know he will resign for Olivia" he felt her tense at her name "which means I will be President. And Mel… I'm going to need someone by my side. I'm going to need a First Lady, I'm going to need you" he said staring into her beautiful blue eyes. Mellie blinked at him and searched his face, the thought hadn't even occurred to her.

"Divorce him Mel, he doesn't deserve you. Stand on your own. Stand by my side. I want you. I need you. I… I love you" he said and kissed her.

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><p>Let me know in the reviews if things aren't making sense, I have another chapter almost ready but I can do a "summary" of what took place between the breaks. It's in my head and I forget to put it in writing sometimes x<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

_**So this chapter essentially goes with chapter 1, I hope it makes sense where and how it would fit into the timeline. Enjoy x**_

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><p>Mellie dropped her head back against the headrest as her limo pulled away, she was exhausted. She had been lying awake at night fearing how today would go, her first public appearance since Andrew had become President. She wasn't sure what people would really think of her staying on as his First Lady.<p>

"The press was really hoping you would take questions Ma'am" Lucy, her new chief of staff said. Mellie cringed. She had wanted to speak with the press, but she had already said more in her speech than she should have as First Lady and she didn't want to push her luck. She had hired Lucy to start morphing and packaging her for a future run for office. They had drafted the speech to address issues she had no business bringing up, but the new Mellie had to.

"No, I think we did enough for today" she replied.

"You're the boss" Lucy said, letting it go. Mellie smiled, she loved how eager and passionate Lucy was to helping her. The young girl was shrewd and calculating, Mellie knew she was the perfect person for the job.

Mellie walked back into her office and paused briefly at the shelving behind her desk. All that remained were pictures of her children or of her and foreign diplomats. She had removed all the pictures of Fitz after the divorce was finalized. She still couldn't believe this was her new reality. It was odd and deep inside she was still hurt that he finally did give her up but she vowed to make herself the focus of her life. She was finally going to put herself first.

Her speaker phone buzzed behind her, she sat down and pressed the button

"Yes"

"The President is on his to see you ma'am"

"Okay thank you."

She bit her lip nervously. Mellie wasn't sure why he would be coming up to her office at this time of day. They hadn't seen much of each other lately. Andrew was busy taking over the country, reappointing cabinet members and staff. And he had been gone for a week out of the country. Everyone had agreed to Mellie staying on as First Lady. It made sense, Andrew would need one and she was more than capable, the public loved her, even more so now that she and Fitz had separated. But they wanted to keep their relationship a secret, it needed to appear to grow organically to the public.

"Mellie" Andrew said as he entered her office, shutting the door behind him. Before she could even respond with her own greeting he continued "I saw your speech today". A lump caught in her throat, she had crossed a line. Had it been Fitz he would have stormed in her office with Cyrus hot on his heels demanding her head on a platter.

"You did" she questioned nervously.

"I did" he said making his way to her desk. She got up gingerly to meet him, her eyes were down as she was thinking how to best explain or apologize.

"Andrew… I'm… I shouldn't have.." She couldn't think of something fast enough. She had never argued with Andrew before and she had no idea how to handle the situation. Fitz she would have just yelled back at or swallowed her pride for later vengeance.

"It was amazing" he said moving towards her and wrapping his arms around her small waist. Mellie just stood there, mouth open in shock. Andrew smiled at her and took advantage of her silence. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Mmmm" he moaned against her mouth before pulling away "I missed you".

Mellie could barely even kiss him back, she was still in shock. 'What is he playing at' she thought 'Is this a trap' 'Does he want me to agree so he can lampoon me' her mind was being overrun with thoughts. But there was a crack in her shield as a beam of light slipped into her darkness. 'He's not Fitz'. The thought was fleeting at first, but he had just kissed her in the most loving way. She looked up into his soft eyes and saw honesty, kindness, and love. This was going to take getting used to.

"You thought so" she said softly, dropping her eyes again

"I did" he exclaimed, squeezing her "I had no idea you were interested in that. I talked to Cyrus already… I also handed a brief to Lucy on my way by" he said hurriedly and excitedly "We needed someone to take on that issue, it's yours if you want it"

"I….I… you.." Mellie was still at a loss for words. Andrew tilted his head and studied her face. She was truly so broken. It saddened him, it pained him. He couldn't even give her good news or praise without her immediately wondering what the ulterior motives were.

"Hey" he said cupping her face with his hand. "I cleared my schedule for lunch, hungry?" Mellie nodded. "Great" he said smiling and lead her to the door. He let go of her hand as the exited her office, but remained next to her as they walked towards the residence.

After that kiss Andrew had no intention of taking Mellie to the kitchen for lunch, as soon as they were out of sight of their aides he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the master bedroom. She paused outside the door, she hadn't been inside since her and Fitz left the White House. Mellie had taken Teddy and moved into Blair House. Andrew had wanted her to stay in one of the many rooms, but she didn't think it was wise.

"If you don't want to… it's okay" Andrew said, sensing her hesitation. Pushing her in any way in their relationship, especially sexually was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He had waited this long for her, what was a few more months or a year. He wanted her when she was ready.

Mellie smiled at him and then abruptly walked towards him taking his face in her hands and kissing him hard. She pressed her body hard into his, pushing him into the room.

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><p>"How long until someone comes looking for you" Mellie said snuggling even closer to him<p>

"That's a good question" he said sighing "I'm surprised Cyrus hasn't sent out a search party" Mellie groaned

"Mel" he said turning on his side to face her "I need… I… want to be honest with you about something" Mellie looked at him curiously, she didn't want her face to betray how nervous she was.

"Okay…"

"It's just… I don't… Life is too short…" he was stumbling over his words now, Mellie was surprised, Andrew always seemed so confident and sure of himself

"What is it" she said gently running her fingers over his cheek. He smiled and calmed instantly

"Mel, I don't want to live my life according to political moves or public opinion. I know you have a desire to run for office some day… and I understand the line you have to walk. I do. But I love you so much and I don't want to live my days passing you in the hallway, seeing you at an event, or sneaking around behind closed doors. I want you to be a part of my life, I want you by my side. I want… I've always wanted….You're an amazing woman Melody Grace and when you're ready… if you'll tell me when you're ready… I want to marry you."


End file.
